At just 13 years old, John Lloyd would rise before the sun in Caramoran, Catanduanes. Alongside his father, he would trek up steep mountains to harvest abaca, a plant native to the Philippines used for fiber. It was grueling work. They would chop down trees, strip them into thin shreds through a process known as paghagot, and carry heavy trunks down the slopes. Most days, they would work from dawn until late afternoon.
“I was thirteen years old when I started helping my father to work. During that time, I voluntarily did it. However, it got harder as time went by. It’s hard to work in the mountains by carrying heavy loads, working the entire day, all at a very young age,” John Lloyd recalls.
With his young body still growing, the physical demands took a toll. His frequent absences from school began to threaten his education and his future.
At home, his mother, Loida, struggled with the difficult choices poverty forces families to make.
“I was forced to let my son be a child laborer as his father brought him to his work,” she admits. “He brings my son with him to help him and our family with our expenses.”
Turning point: Project SAGIP
In 2021, everything changed when Educo Philippines introduced Project SAGIP in their barangay. Loida didn’t hesitate.
“When Educo’s project on child labor started, I ensured that my child gets to join… because I know to myself that we asked him to do some work.”
Through orientations and capacity-building sessions, Educo helped families understand that child labor especially hazardous work like abaca harvesting is not just harmful, but a violation of children’s rights. At the heart of the intervention was also hope: cash assistance for families to start small businesses, allowing them to meet their needs without relying on their children’s labor.
“Educo had this intervention in the form of cash assistance to serve as startup in putting up a business,” Loida shares.
“For me, I used it to support my children to sustain their needs and their education. I believe that education is important for them. I wasn’t able to finish my studies. I want them to finish theirs so that they will be able to stand on their own in the future.”
From the mountains to the classroom
Now 18 years old, John Lloyd is in college and determined to succeed.
“Because of Educo, I got withdrawn from child labor. Educo really helps children especially child labor victims by helping them realize that labor work is prohibited to children, especially those hazardous ones.”
His dream is clear, to become a businessman and lift his family out of poverty.
“Education is very important for me. As they always say, it is the key to success. That’s why I always chose to pursue education to help my family. I want to really finish my studies, become a businessman someday, and be successful in life. I will be able to show my family that their efforts did not go to waste. I also want to show Educo that their teachings really helped me a lot.”
Project SAGIP: protecting children, empowering families
Project SAGIP is more than just an intervention it’s a movement to end child labor in the Bicol Region. Implemented in the municipalities of Caramoran in Catanduanes, Manito in Albay, and Donsol, Castilla, and Pilar in Sorsogon, the program creates safer communities for children by addressing the root causes of child labor.
Educo strengthens the capacity and accountability of local service providers ensuring that government and community stakeholders actively protect children’s rights. At the same time, it empowers young people through child-led activities that develop their leadership, voice, and agency. Children who were once part of the labor force are now emerging as advocates and leaders in their communities.
Families, too, are part of the change. Through economic assistance and community advocacy, parents are finding better ways to support their children without putting their futures at risk.
Ultimately, Project SAGIP envisions a society where children are free from all forms of abuse, violence, and exploitation. Where their only work is to learn, grow, and dream.
A call to end child labor…TOGETHER
This World Day Against Child Labor, Educo Philippines reaffirms its call: A child belongs in school, not at work.
Children like John Lloyd are living proof that with the right support, child labor can be stopped. By investing in education, empowering families, and holding systems accountable, we can break the cycle…one child at a time.
